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Book Twitter! @thebookseller published this today about falling YA sales. (They are down SHARPLY.)
I have thoughts about this, because I've seen the receipts.
Hold me, I'm going in...
I have thoughts about this, because I've seen the receipts.
Hold me, I'm going in...
The following observations are based on analysing the Top Ten best-selling YA titles from 2016, 2017 & 2018 in Nielsen.
N.B. This is print book data. It doesn't include ebook or audiobook sales. So bear that in mind.
N.B. This is print book data. It doesn't include ebook or audiobook sales. So bear that in mind.
1. YA sales are falling because the industry publishes "too many books".
Not entirely true.
2017: 2249 titles
2018: 2250 titles
A consistent output - but a 21.5% drop in sales - isn't a sign of over-supply.
It's a sign people aren't excited by the books.
Not entirely true.
2017: 2249 titles
2018: 2250 titles
A consistent output - but a 21.5% drop in sales - isn't a sign of over-supply.
It's a sign people aren't excited by the books.
2. What even *IS* a YA best-seller?
In 2016, a Top 10 bestseller sold an average of 90,000 copies.
In 2018, a Top 10 bestseller sold an average 41,000 copies
The trouble with YA starts at the top. Big titles aren't as big anymore.
In 2016, a Top 10 bestseller sold an average of 90,000 copies.
In 2018, a Top 10 bestseller sold an average 41,000 copies
The trouble with YA starts at the top. Big titles aren't as big anymore.
3. The shock of nothing all that new
Only 3 of the Top Ten YA titles in 2018 were published in 2018. And one of those 2018 titles was a film tie-in republication of Love @simonblackwell
Only 3 of the Top Ten YA titles in 2018 were published in 2018. And one of those 2018 titles was a film tie-in republication of Love @simonblackwell
4. Film & TV tie-in
I expected 2018's woes to be because of a lack of film & TV tie-ins that year.
I was wrong.
7 out of 10 of the Top 10 YA titles in 2018 were either adapted for film & TV or a branded Disney title.
I expected 2018's woes to be because of a lack of film & TV tie-ins that year.
I was wrong.
7 out of 10 of the Top 10 YA titles in 2018 were either adapted for film & TV or a branded Disney title.
5. So why isn't YA getting that sweet, sweet film & TV bump?
Recent YA adptations didn't deliver huge numbers:-
👬Love, Simon: $66m at US box office
😡 The Hate U Give, $32m at US box office
💔 Everything, Everything, $61m at US box office
They were hits, just not big ones
Recent YA adptations didn't deliver huge numbers:-
👬Love, Simon: $66m at US box office
😡 The Hate U Give, $32m at US box office
💔 Everything, Everything, $61m at US box office
They were hits, just not big ones
6. Is realistic, earnest YA just less likely to crossover?
It feels ironic that the trend towards publishing books that more accurately reflect the experience of YA readers may have turned them off...
But that seems to be what's happened.
It feels ironic that the trend towards publishing books that more accurately reflect the experience of YA readers may have turned them off...
But that seems to be what's happened.
7. Is it a question of taste - publishers' taste
YA stopped delivering huge crossover hits when it pulled back from Hunger Games' style big picture dystopias.
Was that because readers stopped wanting them, or because publishers got bored of publishing them?
YA stopped delivering huge crossover hits when it pulled back from Hunger Games' style big picture dystopias.
Was that because readers stopped wanting them, or because publishers got bored of publishing them?
8. TRENDS TRENDS TRENDS
2018 looks like a transitional year. Nothing much happened in YA that moved the market.
We have to look waaaaay back to 2016 to see the last big YA sensation.
It was Zoella. Look at how many books she sold that year.
2018 looks like a transitional year. Nothing much happened in YA that moved the market.
We have to look waaaaay back to 2016 to see the last big YA sensation.
It was Zoella. Look at how many books she sold that year.
9. But Zoella was a blip (sorry)
Remember when we thought YouTubers would get a generation reading? We were on glue, sorry.
YA bestsellers stick around a LONG time. Everything Everything has been in the Top 10 for 3 yrs.
Zoella's came & went in a year. The definition of fad.
Remember when we thought YouTubers would get a generation reading? We were on glue, sorry.
YA bestsellers stick around a LONG time. Everything Everything has been in the Top 10 for 3 yrs.
Zoella's came & went in a year. The definition of fad.
10. My theory: 2018 was what happens when Young bookish Adults buy YA
YA reacted to the end of Hunger Games fever by retooling itself as a more socially conscious genre rooted in real teen experience.
In the process, it lost its crossover appeal.
YA reacted to the end of Hunger Games fever by retooling itself as a more socially conscious genre rooted in real teen experience.
In the process, it lost its crossover appeal.
11. And a warning
The trouble with focusing on your core audience (which is what YA has done) is that core market strategies...
DO NOT DELIVER GROWTH
YA can grow again, but to do so it needs to appeal to casual readers, reluctant readers & adults. Not just to bookish teens.
The trouble with focusing on your core audience (which is what YA has done) is that core market strategies...
DO NOT DELIVER GROWTH
YA can grow again, but to do so it needs to appeal to casual readers, reluctant readers & adults. Not just to bookish teens.
